Scholarlink

Extreme landslide events have become a prevalent phenomenon in India over the last decade, with flash floods and landmass slips that wash away slopes and villages in minutes, causing fatalities and severe damage. This paper explores the experience of two small communities (Kattunayakan and Cholanaickan), living in the Nilambur region of the Western Ghats, Southern India, which has become a hot spot for extreme and unpredictable landslides and floods. By amplifying the voices of community members, we aim to provide a better understanding of communities' perspectives of the challenges they face and offer a unique view of key concepts like vulnerability and resilience, which are often taken-for-granted within the discourse of natural disasters. We show that, due to the recent history of knowledge loss and the unpredictability of extreme weather events, the ability of these communities to rely on their forest knowledge and skills is limited. On the other hand, current challenges have in fact opened new paths for intergenerational communication and collaboration and for locally derived coping initiatives, including the harnessing of digital technologies. These localized strategies have so far been underrepresented in official and scientific discussions on disaster management in the region, despite their deep roots in long-standing community values and relationships and their innovative nature.

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Living with a Changing Environment: An Ethnographic Account of Indigenous Forest Village Communities' Experience of Floods and Landslides in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India

  • 章节

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2025年

查看全文
  • Asish Mangalasseri,
  • M. Ajesh,
  • Vinod Chellan,
  • Noa Lavi

摘要

Extreme landslide events have become a prevalent phenomenon in India over the last decade, with flash floods and landmass slips that wash away slopes and villages in minutes, causing fatalities and severe damage. This paper explores the experience of two small communities (Kattunayakan and Cholanaickan), living in the Nilambur region of the Western Ghats, Southern India, which has become a hot spot for extreme and unpredictable landslides and floods. By amplifying the voices of community members, we aim to provide a better understanding of communities' perspectives of the challenges they face and offer a unique view of key concepts like vulnerability and resilience, which are often taken-for-granted within the discourse of natural disasters. We show that, due to the recent history of knowledge loss and the unpredictability of extreme weather events, the ability of these communities to rely on their forest knowledge and skills is limited. On the other hand, current challenges have in fact opened new paths for intergenerational communication and collaboration and for locally derived coping initiatives, including the harnessing of digital technologies. These localized strategies have so far been underrepresented in official and scientific discussions on disaster management in the region, despite their deep roots in long-standing community values and relationships and their innovative nature.